need airline help to Phoenix from CT

[mykidslovesdisney]

I am thinking of traveling to Phoenix to visit DM during Feb Vac. I haven't flown post 9/11. It will be myself and ds 10,9,2 and dd6. I am in CT and planned on flying out of BDL ( we are 20 mins away). I do know there are no direct fights. I am willing to pull the kids a few days early from school so we fly weekday vs wkend.

My ?'s are
Were are the best places to get a good flight rate?
Is it cheaper to wait closer to departure date?
Is one airport better/worse for a connecting flight?
How much time would you allow for connecting flight? I have seen some w/ less 30 mins and some w/ a few hours. I would think that if flying the same airline you stay in the same concourse area?? vs changing terminals?? I think 30 mins or so would be cutting it too close w/ 4 dc in tow.
Can you get travel insurance on the flight?? I am nervous on Feb vac to travel bc last yr ds10 had the flu for 13 days. I know the school got hit really hard w/ all sorts of illnesses. Is it really expensive??
Would April(3rd wk) be better than 2nd wk of Feb?
Would I be crazy to consider AZ in late June/July?? I would want to do alot of sightseeing w/the kids. I am guessing airfare may be cheaper then??
Which airlines allow pre board for families??


As you can see I am far behind the ball on air travel. Pre 9/11 we were always flying. It isn't 9/11 that stopped us from flying it was just having 2 little ones at home and dh being very busy at work. We had a 3 yr break before we started traveling again but now it is the autotrain to WDW every Aug. I can tell you EVERYTHING about the Autotrain. My dc just found out that if we fly we can be at WDW in under 3 hrs. I told them as long as Dh works for Amtrak- it will be amtrak (they love the train!) Can't beat free.

I am still in the thinking about it phase. Just trying to figure out flying- it has been a while.

thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide

 

[kaytieeldr]

kayak.com and sidestep.com - they do not sell anything, they get paid by the travel service providers when users click through their sites to make the purchase.

Start looking now and buy when you see fares with which you are comfortable.

Smaller airports are better for connecting because they're easier to navigate and less busy; larger airports are better because they have more connection options; non-stop flights are best.

If you must connect, purchasing the entire trip on one airline makes more sense than trying to set your own connections. First, the airlines are aware of what equals a legal connection allowance; passengers doing it themselves may not. Second, booking your own connections means having to go to baggage claim at the first airport, getting your luggage, and checking in all over again. Usually but not always, yes, an airline's flights will all be from/in one terminal.

See insuremytrip.com for travel insurance options. Some companies may allow flight-only insurance, but read the conditions and restrictions of any policy before you purchase it.

April would be better than February simply because of weather. Snow/weather delays are far more rare in April than in the middle of winter.

Arizona in June/July will be hot. No, I mean it - hot. Really hot. Really, really hot. You decide.

Please don't base your choice of airline on whether it allows families to preboard. That's a courtesy, not a rule, and can be changed at any time - even on a flight by flight basis. Instead, if at all possible, base your choice on convenient, nonstop flights.

By the way, Amtrak goes from Boston to Arizona - not necessarily Phoenix, but it's something to consider. Of course, it takes over three days to get there...

 

[mykidslovesdisney]

kaytieeldr- thanks for all the information. I will look up those websites. I have traveled alot before kids but never on an airline w/ 4 of them so I think that is what is making me a little nervous w/ the connecting flights. I have traveled w/ them by train so I am hoping it is the same- just a bit faster.

I have been thinking about going in April. I know for flying it will be better. I am worried about being stranded in the midwest w/ all the kids for days if there is severe storms. I really don't want to go in the summer since it is soo hot and alot of the thing I want to take the kids to is outside. DM states that most people are back home by 10 am and stay inside bc it is just too hot outside. Plus we go to WDW in Aug for 2 wks so I dont' want to spend the entire summer traveling.

I will keep w/ the same airlines that makes sense. My mom just mentions that when she flies to us she has long walks to the connecting flights. So that is where my concern for enough time for a change would be.

I wonder if I should just have DH drive us to JFK for that direct flight. It is a 3 hr drive but might be worth it. I will check into it. BDL use to have direct fights but they stopped them.

Do airlines still have assigned seating where we can all sit together?? I will definitely pick an airline on the time duration and cost. I dont' mind paying a bit more if it gets us there sooner.

Thanks for the trip ins sight I will read up on it.

I did price out Amtrak- well not really for the prices since we travel for free. I looked from going from Springfield MA. It seems like it would take just too long for a wk school vacation. Also the connecting trains had some times that I was not comfortable on. - very late at night. Maybe some day when they are all older and we still travel for free we might venture out west but for now I would rather fly.

Thanks again for all your helpful insight.

 

[artesian]

Youre better off going out or EWR than JFK. You'll have alot less traffic hassels doing it that way. There are 4 direct flights a days on Continental to Phoenix.

 

[Green Tea]

I am thinking of traveling to Phoenix to visit DM during Feb Vac. I haven't flown post 9/11. It will be myself and ds 10,9,2 and dd6. I am in CT and planned on flying out of BDL ( we are 20 mins away). I do know there are no direct fights. I am willing to pull the kids a few days early from school so we fly weekday vs wkend.

My ?'s are
Were are the best places to get a good flight rate?
Is it cheaper to wait closer to departure date?
Is one airport better/worse for a connecting flight?
How much time would you allow for connecting flight? I have seen some w/ less 30 mins and some w/ a few hours. I would think that if flying the same airline you stay in the same concourse area?? vs changing terminals?? I think 30 mins or so would be cutting it too close w/ 4 dc in tow.
Can you get travel insurance on the flight?? I am nervous on Feb vac to travel bc last yr ds10 had the flu for 13 days. I know the school got hit really hard w/ all sorts of illnesses. Is it really expensive??
Would April(3rd wk) be better than 2nd wk of Feb?
Would I be crazy to consider AZ in late June/July?? I would want to do alot of sightseeing w/the kids. I am guessing airfare may be cheaper then??
Which airlines allow pre board for families??


As you can see I am far behind the ball on air travel. Pre 9/11 we were always flying. It isn't 9/11 that stopped us from flying it was just having 2 little ones at home and dh being very busy at work. We had a 3 yr break before we started traveling again but now it is the autotrain to WDW every Aug. I can tell you EVERYTHING about the Autotrain. My dc just found out that if we fly we can be at WDW in under 3 hrs. I told them as long as Dh works for Amtrak- it will be amtrak (they love the train!) Can't beat free.

I am still in the thinking about it phase. Just trying to figure out flying- it has been a while.

thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide

I have been to Phoenix in the summer with kids. We'd do it again. It was hot, 110', but actually didn't bother us. We are used to eastern humidity, so even though the temperature was higher, we did just fine.

You can buy trip insurance from insuremytrip.com. You put in the total cost or the cost per person, the ages and you get quotes from a number of companies. You can compare to see what is the best fit for you. I generally pay between $100 and $200 for a trip, depending on the costs. I don't use it for routine domestic trips, but larger vacations and such I generally do.

The same airline doesn't guarantee same concourse or terminal. About the only time that has ever worked for me is with Airtran. USAir, Delta, United--always come into the commuter terminals and out of the larger terminals. I would think 30 minutes would be tough with small children and strollers. A couple of weeks ago my group of 5 was flying and because of a delay in leaving, we missed the connection. They couldn't fit 5 on either of the remaining flights. we split into 2 groups and got home 4 hours apart. If you have a little extra cushion to allow for delays it might make the day a little easier.

Hope some of this is helpful and that others can address your other questions.

 

[Snoozan]

I'm flying from BDL to Phoenix on 2/26 on Southwest. Got a $94 one way fare about 6 weeks ago. There's only 1 plane change and that's in Baltimore, with just over an hour between flights, so plenty of time. I'd check out Southwest and see what their fares are. You could also sign up for Ding on Southwest, but not sure how often they have deals to Phoenix from Hartford. With a two year old, you'd qualify for family boarding on Southwest - if you didn't snag A boarding passes.